Air Algerie Pilots Asked to Turn Back, Recorders Recovered | Aviation International News

Air Algerie Pilots Asked to Turn Back, Recorders Recovered

All 116 on board Flight AH5017 died in the crash.

Search teams found the wreckage of Air Algerie flight AH5017 just south of the Malian city of Gao, close to the border with Burkina Faso (as indicated by the X on this map).

By Gregory Polek • Senior Editor

July 28, 2014

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters Monday that the pilots of the Air Algerie that crashed in Mali last Thursday had asked air traffic controllers for permission to turn back toward their point of departure after they changed course due to a storm in the area (story first posted on July 25 and updated July 28 at 4:11 pm EDT) . Early Friday morning French troops located the wreckage of Air Algérie AH5017 close to Gao in Mali. All 116 people on board the MD-83 died in the crash. In a statement issued on Friday at 9:00 a.m. Paris time, French President Francois Hollande said that soldiers had secured the crash site and had taken possession of one of the aircraft’s flight data recorders. On Monday, French officials confirmed that investigators had found both the data and voice recorders and that they had arrived at France's BEA air accidents investigation bureau for analysis.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.

Become a Member

Already a member? Sign In

District Court Rejects Appeal of GARA-related Lawsuit

Plaintiffs argued that police aircraft are exempt from GARA statute of repose

Helicopter accident flight path

NTSB: Pax Safely Lands King Air after Pilot Collapsed

Pilot died of cardiac arrest during the flight

Teen Driver Breaches Fence, Hits PlaneSense PC-12 at KPSM

Vehicle also struck parked ground-support tractor; there were no injuries

the pilatus PC-12 photographed on a ramp

NBAA Report Flags Powerplant, Collision Risks in Q2 Data

Six fatal accidents resulted in 22 fatalities in the quarter

Remembering a Solemn Anniversary: the Amazon Midair

Twenty years ago, a business jet and commerical airliner collided; the smaller airplane survived

Joe Sharkey with Embraer Legacy 600 involved in collision

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: September 2026

Preliminary and final accident reports, September 2026

rural runway

NTSB Cites Heliport Misidentification in Aug. 2025 Crash

Captain opted out of instrument approach over autopilot concerns

Image courtesy Texas Department of Public Safety

Fire of Unknown Origin Led to 2024 Citation X Accident

NTSB: Ignition source could not be conclusively identified

Number 2 battery